PhD researcher samuel [dot] huerten [at] uol.de Tel: 0441 798 5202

Research Interest

My scientific interest lies in the field of marine microbiology, with a focus on the functional biogeography of microbial communities. Specifically, I infer microbial communities based on co-occurrence network analyses and omic’s data to analyze functional differences between them. Combining the functional profiles of microbial communities with their biogeography helps us understand the ecological mechanisms behind their distributions, ultimately enabling the implementation of these processes in biogeochemical models to improve assessments of global carbon fluxes. 

Current Project

In my current research I assess the functional potential of marine microbial cohorts (see for definition: https://doi.org/10.1093/ismeco/ycag037), which I inferred from an global marine MAG co-occurrence network. In this project I investigate the environmental drivers that determine the cohorts functional repertoire. Information from this will be used to understand the ecological mechanisms constraining the cohorts’ environmental distribution.

Academic Career

• - Since 2026: Doctoral candidate – Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the marine environment – Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
• - 2023 – 2026 : Master of Science (MSc. Microbiology) –  Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
• - 2020 – 2023 : Bachelor of Science (Bsc.) BioGeoSciences – University of Koblenz

	doctoral candidate samuel.huerten [at] uol.de Phone: 0441 798 5202

Research interests
My scientific interest is in the field of marine microbiology, focussing on the functional biogeography of microbial communities. Specifically, I derive microbial communities based on analyses of co-occurrence networks and omics data to investigate the functional differences between them. Combining the functional profiles of microbial communities with their biogeography helps us to understand the ecological mechanisms behind their distribution, which ultimately enables the incorporation of these processes into biogeochemical models to improve the assessment of global carbon fluxes.

Current project
In my current research, I am investigating the functional potential of marine microbial cohorts (for definition see: doi.org/10.1093/ismeco/ycag037) derived from a global network of co-occurring marine MAGs. In this project, I am investigating the environmental factors that determine the functional repertoire of the cohorts. The resulting knowledge will help to understand the ecological mechanisms that influence the spatial distribution of cohorts.

Scientific career

• since 2026: Doctoral candidate - Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment - University of Oldenburg
• 2023 - 2026: Master of Science (MSc. Microbiology) - University of Oldenburg
• 2020 - 2023: Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) BioGeoSciences - University of Koblenz